Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Before I introduce the 3 new Spring Wenshan Baozhongs I selected, let me first give some perspective on this spring season.Tea is amazing: it's not just that every season is different, even every day is different. The smallest changes of weather and/or process have big impacts on the taste and smell. This was especially true this year. The early spring started very cold and dry for longer than usual. Then we had several days of big rain. Since then, the weather has shown all possible conditions: hot and sunny, cold and windy, cloudy, rainy again... Unstable and changing would be the best way to describe the conditions tea farmers faced in the North of Taiwan this spring. That's probably why I felt that the quality of this spring's harvests varied even more than usual from batch to batch.

Below, I brewed the 3 Baozhongs together: 3 grams for 6 minutes, competition style, to test their limits. The color of the brew is a good indication of the oxidation degree. The cultivar of all 3 Baozhongs is luanze (qingxin) Oolong.From right to left:1. 'Lily Flower' Baozhong. Hand harvested on April 4.

Light oxidation. Light floral and buttery fragrance. The taste shows a slight astringency, but also a lot of nice length.

The leaves have been picked on a partial cloudy day. But you almost wouldn't notice it, because of the high quality of the making process. The leaves contains many buds. They are small and beautiful.

The result is very delicate, flowery and with a long aftertaste.

It is best brewed in a gaiwan (or zhuni teapot) with thin walls.

2. 'Young tree' Baozhong. Harvested on April 15.

Oxidation is the lightest of the three. Light floral fragrance and soft taste.

These leaves come from a new, organic plantation. Young trees are usually so delicate, that the stems are preserved to add depth and taste. This works very well in this batch: the taste is very mellow and calm.

The character of this Baozhong is very feminine.

Both this and the previous 'lily flower' Baozhong are nice alternatives to the more expensive High Mountain Oolongs.

3. 'Semi-wild' forest Baozhong. Harvested on March 27.

I chose this name (semi-wild), because the leaves come from an organic plantation mostly left alone (except for harvesting).

Oxidation is strongest, more traditional. The smells are very natural and pure: those of the Wenshan forest. The taste is full body, mixing some astringency with unfolding, lingering aftertastes.

Its character is masculine. It's a very different Baozhong compared to the first two. The stronger oxidation level has replaced the delicate fragrances with more complexity and darker notes. It's very nice to taste it with its raw freshness.

But the more I drink it, the more I believe this would be a good candidate for some more traditional roasting... (Maybe I'll have half of this batch also roasted. It could become more like the Qizhong. In 2007, I had part of semi-wild Baozhong 'honey' roasted. I just opened my last pack to check its evolution: it's very delicate and despite being 2 years old, it doesn't taste stale at all, on the contrary.)All three Baozhongs have passed the test well. They still tasted good after 6 minutes infusion. They will taste even better when brewed with skill and heart.

Tasting fresh spring Baozhong is about the youthful energy of nature, green mountains. Somehow, if it were a song, it reminds me of this euphoric song, Allein, Allein.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The best place to brew Wenshan Baozhong is... on top of a mountain overlooking the Wenshan area... except when it starts to rain!

So, as history repeated itself (!), it we took refuge under the roof of the nearby temple. The monks kindly agreed that I set up my Cha Xi at the entrance of their temple.

Earlier in the day, I had been testing some Spring Baozhongs, overbrewing them on purpose to find their defects. Now, I wanted to enjoy the tea as much as possible in this perfect setting. This summarizes schizophrenic qualities a tea drinker should have:

1. a great deal of suspicion for every new tea: don't believe any spoken or written word. Just let the tea tell you how good or bad it is. (Tea is bad = leaves are bad.)

2. love and understanding for your tea: use your gungfu cha skills to maximize the potential of your leaves. Even an imperfect and humble tea can bring tremendous satisfaction if you brew it well. (Tea is bad = brewing is bad).

And now, imagine how much happiness one feels when, having found a high quality, fresh Baozhong, one brews it with the right accessories, local spring water, good skills in this natural setting!

Friday, April 17, 2009

This week, I visited the National Museum of History in Taipei. It features an exhibition of Celadon in ancient Korea until April 26.

If you can't make it in time, I recommend the Palace Museum's Green: Longquan Celadon of the Ming dynasty. The collection is breathtaking. These antique objects have such grace, their colors are so vivid and natural. It is even possible to touch a (broken) piece of celadon. Their texture is soft despite being thick. Amazing. (At least click on the link for a virtual tour. Until October 15, 2009)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Let's assume that the test (to find out if you're a member of the triad) when well. You have selected the correct tea cup. However, you didn't just come to enjoy the pleasant taste of a good cup of tea. You came with an important subject to discuss with your host, the local triad boss.

Your first meeting is likely to take place in a public place, where all kinds of people come to see the host. It's best to remain discreet. So, again, without a word, using the secret language of tea, you can tell your host that you have a serious matter to discuss.

How?The boss is in no hurry, though. He continues to make tea. This clever guy (otherwise he wouldn't be the boss around this city) has figured out who sent you to him. He pours tea in all cups again and places the teapot with the spout facing you directly.

This meeting is over. What message will you bring back?

PS: I will post my answers in the comments of both articles on Monday. Have fun and a nice Easter weekend!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

My questions about how to hold a teapot led Teaparker to show me his first book, 'Ye Hu', written in 1985 about... Chinese Triads (mafia) in Taiwan. (Update: more specifically, it concerns the Hong Men and the Qing Bang triads only). There's a chapter about the secret way its members would drink tea.

In times without Internet, telephone or even reliable mailing system, this was an ingenious way to test if an unknown visitor could speak their tea language and was one of them or not.

In these 2 pictures, for example, I have set up the cups to test you. Imagine that the boss has just filled them and asks you to pick one. Which one will it be, if you want to tell him, without words, that you're one of them? (One or more answers are possible for each picture).

Monday, April 06, 2009

My previous article has sparked an interesting debate about how I held this 21 cl teapot in the video (I had the thumb on the knob instead of the index). So, yesterday morning, during the practice for the Taipei Story House event in the afternoon, I asked Teaparker how I should hold my teapot. I explained I felt better, more relaxed using the thumb than the index with this rather big teapot. Teaparker partially agreed with my intuition. Big teapots are indeed easier to hold with a thumb. However, Chinese tea culture is more complex. How you hold the teapot also shows your cultural background (similar to western table manners).

So, for small teapots, including this one, Teaparker recommends I hold it with the index on the knob (see picture above), the Phoenix hand, according to Scott. This is how I then practiced it with my teapot.

In case I didn't feel comfortable enough, or should I use an even bigger teapot, then Teaparker advises to hold the handle with one hand and knob with a finger (index or middle finger) from the other hand (See on the left).

I now remember that Teaparker often told and showed us how to hold a teapot properly. I just didn't make this lesson mine for medium and big teapots. So, the pictures below (taken last year) clearly show the student (me, with my thumb) and the master.

However, thanks to the discussion that was triggered and the article I now wrote, I think this time I won't forget again!

Friday, April 03, 2009

This Sunday afternoon, the Cha Ren Ya Xin tea association will host a 'Spring Oolong Cha Xi' at the Taipei Story House. (Please come if you're around!) I have now finalized my Cha Xi set up for the occasion.

Each teapot pours a little differently, so I practiced pouring with my zhuni Da Bing Ru Yi for several brews today.

The easy way would be to use a chahai, a pitcher, to collect all the tea and then distribute it in the cups. But it wouldn't be very 'gong fu', would it?

It takes much more skill to pour directly in the cups. The goal is to pour the same volume and same concentration into each cup without spilling too much tea around. It is a (difficult) skill to master, but at the same time it simplifies the process by bypassing the cha hai. Done with grace, it looks nicer, saves time and maintains the tea at a higher temperature.

Here is my third (and best) attempt today:

There were a couple of drops here and there, but the result was quite OK, I think. Now it's your turn to try!! But before you do, let me give you several 'tricks' or details:

- Dry the foot of the teapot. If you see it has collected water, place the teapot on an absorbing cloth just before starting to pour,

- stop your movement for a second or two when the teapot is next to the cup and before you pour. If the water is still shaking inside the teapot, it is more likely to come out unevenly and cause a spill,

- fill the cups in this order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

- hold the teapot so that you can open the lid of the teapot with one finger (see how I pour at the last cup). This will help to pour the teapot dry.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Granted, I'm almost always in a tea mood! So, the real is question is: what tea am I in a mood for now? Readers often ask me which tea is my favorite. It's hard to answer, because it really depends on my tea mood.

Today, for instance, Taipei continues to be quite cold and grey. I feel like some fresh spring energy and warmth for my early afternoon tea. So, I turn to a Sung style powder green tea from Japan.

Just the fact that it needs good whisking (my whole arm is moving) warms up my body. The aromas of the powder are fresh like tender grass, but the whisked tea is more like a smooth soup. I'm also amazed how hot the unglazed bottom of my Jianyang ware becomes. The iron content of this clay is so high, that the hot clay feels more like metal than clay.

The outside temperature, the moment of the day, the season... are some of the elements that impacted my tea mood. Being alone and quiet for an hour was another element for choosing a full scale Cha Xi. If I had less time or were constantly disturbed, I would have chosen a different tea (easier to prepare) with a simpler setting.

To choose the right tea, understand your mood and what you expect from it!

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About Me

My name is Stéphane Erler. I live in Taiwan since 1996 and have been studying tea with Teaparker. He's a worldwide tea expert and author of over 30 tea books. The study of tea isn't just theoretical, but it's also rooted in daily practice. It's a path of continuous improvement. As my brewing technique improves I get access to better teas and better accessories. These things go hand in hand. My blog documents my learning since 2004. And I have set up an online tea boutique with my selection of top quality teas, accessories and tea culture.